Coin-freed stamping mechanism.



F. HILTON.

COIN FREED STAMPING MECHANISM.

APPLIUATION FILED PEB.12,1910.

[Hill i F. HLTON.

G01N PREBD STAMPING MBGHANISM.

AYPLIUATION FILED FEB.12,1910.

Patelltd July 22, w13.

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FRED HILTON, 0F MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

COIN-BREED STAMPING MECHANISM.

Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

Application led February 12, 1910. Serial No. 543,448.

To all wiz-om t may concern Be it known that l, FRED HILTON, a sub- ]ect of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented new and useful Coin-Freed Stamping Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

lhis invention relates to coin freed mechanism forstamping or franking letters or the like with a postage or other fee in lieu of placing adhesive stamps upon them.

This mechanism is of a type in which the user after insertion of the required coin gives a direct pull to the stamp to effect the impression throughk the medium of the inserted coin, and is primarily intended for direct access and operation by the public and to be placed at convenient places, as for example at letter boxes.

` 'lhe mechanism is so constructed that the stamp after stamping a. letter or the like (hereinafter referred to as a letter) cannot be moved back or allowed to move back and be again operated for stamping a letter before the payment of another coin, and so that the stamp can be properly and eiic iently used for stamping letters of any reasonable variation in thickness. It is preferred, also, that the coin which has last caused or permitted the operation of the mechanism should, immediately the stamping has been effected, come into View by be- `ing deposited behind a window or the like in the machine and here remain visible until the next coin has been inserted for the next operation.

The stamp itself may be of any suitable self-inking or other type, such, for example, as that type which, when depressed by' a handle, turns over and comes down upon the surface to be stamped, and when released moves upward under spring pressure, again turning over to take ink from the under side` of a pad for the next imp reS-- sion. The inscription or figures or equivalent on the face of the stamp to be impressed may be any suitable, and may bear a mark to identify the station at which the impression took place.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a stamping apparatus constructed according to my improvements and such drawings will now be referred to and the construction and operation of the machine described. 'lhe casing and other parts of the machine which form no part of my invention and the construction of which are well known in coin .freed machines are omitted from the drawings for the sake of clearness, but it is to be understood that the mechanism is inclosed in a suitable casing provided'with an opening to a shoot into which the coin is inserted; with a coin receptacle; with. an opening into which the letter to be stamped can be inserted and into which the stamp when operated enters to impress the inserted letter; and with an opening or the like through which the operating handle projects; and that no access to the machine is permitted which would enable it to be fraudulently operated. For outside use the machine should of course be weatherproof.

Figure l represents the stamping mechanism in front elevation with the stamp out of operation. Fig. 2 represents the same arts in the same positions in side elevation.

ig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 but shows the parts at the moment an impression has been made and the stamp has returned to the top of its stroke. Fig. 4 shows the coin gripping mechanism during lthe progress of the downward or impression stroke of the stamp but before the im ression is made or completed. Fig. 5 simi arly illustrates the same parts as Fig. l but at the moment of 'impression and immediately before the liberation of the coin. Fig. 5 shows the stamp at the impression moment and when the parts shown in Fig. 5 are in the positions there illustrated. Fig. 6 is a plan view from underneath showing how the stamp enters the opening orl slot in which the letter is placed for stamping. Fig. 7 illustrates a device for displaying the coin last used.

Similar letters of reference are used to indicate similar parts where they occur in the different figures.

A is the stamp which has a plate B bearing the desired inscription and which can be moved downwardto the position shown in Fig. 5a to make the required'impression and which is returned after the impression is made to the position shown in Fig. 1 for re-inking. During each movement the stamp plate turns around a shaft C carried by the frame D which' is moved down to make the impression and is returned to its higher position by the springl E when the stamping pressure is taken off. Such a stamp is by itself well known and needs no detailed description here. Attached to Patented July 22,1913.

the frame D is the vertical member F having ratchet teeth formed along one edge. It is evident that as this ratchet member is pressed down or released the stamp will be moved down to its impression point or returned.

G is a vertically sliding operating handle bar mounted parallel to and near to the member F 'and having at its lower end an operating handle G1 which projects through the machine casing for the user to grasp. Such operating bar can be pulled downward against the pressure of a spring G2' which will return the barG to its highest position when the handle is released. y The upper part of the operating bar carries two hooked limbs H H1 one or both of which is or are hinged and spring controlled. In the example shown in the drawings one only of the limbs H is hinged as shown and the ltwo limbs are normally held in their closest relative positions by a spring H2. -When in their closest relative positions (illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4) the hooked limbs have a. distance between them which is less than the diameter of the coin with which they are to used, but are farther apart than the width of the ratchet member F toward which they project. The'upper part of the ratchet member carries a stud or projecting part F1 which comes below the hooks H H1 and is suficiently below such hooks when the machine is ready for the insertion of a coin as to permit such coin to stand on its edge upon the projection and belovT the hooks.

With the different parts in the positions shown in Figs. l and 2 the person desirous of using the mechanism places the coin in the machine through the shoot J. The coin comes to rest on its edge on the projection F1 as shown at K injFigs. l and 2. The user then places the letter L to be stamped properly in the slot M belowthe stamp and pulls down the handle G1. As the handle is pulled downward the hooks H H1 come over and engage with the edge of the coin or check and exert their -pullthrough such coin down on to the ratchet member F and the attached stamp until the stamp comes down on to the surface of the letter (see Fig. 5a). The spring H2 is strong enough to prevent the jaw H opening during this part of the movement although not strong enough to prevent it opening when the pressure requisite to give a proper impression is exerted.

Fig. 4 illustrates the positions of the various parts when the stamp has reached the letter and before the hook has begun to open, and Fig. 5 illustrates the position taken up by the movable jaw as it is opening and just about to release the coin owing` to the further downward pull on the handle to give a proper impression.- As the imed to prevent any possibility of the stamp being used to effect a light impression without thejaws giving way, and =then being again used for further impressions after a slight return of the ratchet member lwithout the coin being expelled andthe mechanism being rendered non-operative. It is intended that the strength of the spring shall suiiicient to cause the jaws to en# gage the coin until the pull required to give an impression isf given to the handle, and that as soon as such required pull is given or as soon as the requisite printing impression' is exerted .the jaws shall give way and release the coin and thus render the machine inoperative until another coin is inserted. It is preferred however to use the ratchet and pawl although it maybe dispensed with.

The impression having been made and the coin having fallen from the projection F1 it becomes necessary that the stamp shall at once return to its inking and inoperative position and to permit this the pawl (when 100 used) must be released from the ratchet. This can be accomplished in either or both of two ways as shown in the drawings. After the jaws H H1 have passed over and released the coin, the handle G1 (owing to 105 Vthe resistance to its movement being gradlmember F is thus free to iiy up with the stamp as soon as the coin gets out of its way, and the further downward movement of the jaw H1 and its engagement with the -pawlinsures the pawl remaining in its inoperative position during the ascentof the ratchet member'. To insure the operations being properly performed it is preferred to so arrange the parts that the handle bar rings a bell or otherwise gives a signal when it has performed all its functions, and that the instructions to the user shall direct him to pull down the handle until 13C rack on' such rod, a detent engaging with said pan being operated from a cam on the Such rack whereby the undesired return of Wheel shaft to permit the check to fall into the operating part Will be prevented but which is disengaged by the rear end of a hooked limb coming in Contact With an eXn tension of the detent, and a Wheel divided into compartments into Which the check fails rotating it a qua-rter turn and dropping the check on to a hinged pan for exhibiting 10 the last check used through a Window the :t receptacle, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Wit- 15 nesses.

FRED HILTON.

Witnesses:

JOHN CONNELL, LLEXWILYN THOMAS. 

